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Belly fat can signal an unhealthy heart, from the Harvard Women's Health Watch

Carrying a little extra fat around the middle can be hard on a woman's ego—especially during swimsuit season—but it's even harder on her heart. The November 2012 Harvard Women's Health Watch examines the connection between abdominal fat and heart health.

Extra body fat increases the risk for conditions that contribute to heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Fat deposited in the abdomen—called visceral fat—lies deep enough to surround organs and disrupt their function.

"The fat around the belly is particularly metabolically active, meaning that it produces a number of factors that increase the risks for heart disease," explains Dr. Paula Johnson, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Those factors include hormones and other substances that promote inflammation, raise blood pressure, alter cholesterol levels, and interfere with normal blood vessel activity.

The metabolic syndrome is a constellation of factors that has been linked to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It includes:

Ask Harvard Medical School

Daily Health Tip

Try the tree pose

To build concentration and balance, try doing the tree pose: Stand with your feet directly under your hips, feet parallel. Lift your right foot and rest it on the inside of your left leg, under your knee. Clasp your hands together in front of your heart. Keep your gaze forward and take up to six easy breaths. Then repeat, this time standing on your right leg and lifting your left. If your balance is shaky, rest your hands on a chair in front of you.